The telly was usually on at eight in the morning. While I wait for the electric stove to heat up for ages, I watch a show featuring a heated argument revolving around Australia’s proposed carbon tax. On a commercial break, I catch an ad where women promote the Ahh Bra, which they describe as a “breakthrough body form technology”.
When the stove top’s finally aglow, I whip up an omelette for my family’s brekkie.
This was my typical morning in Gold Coast, Queensland. Familiarizing myself with the country’s current affairs and pop culture via telly news and ads. It may not be the best medium, but we were cowering from July’s winter temperature to be out and about.
The hubby, baby Luna and I camped out in one of my sister-in-law’s bedrooms. We were to attend hubby’s graduation that month, hence our trip to the “land down under” during our least favorite season.
It took us almost a week to be acclimatized. Come t-shirt weather, I was itching to experience the outdoors. So one morning after my morning routine, we hopped in a borrowed car for a cruise along Surfers Paradise Beach.
Our drive to this well-known tourist destination took just about twenty minutes (which our GPS device accurately calculated). We parked on The Esplanade, a street adjacent and parallel to the coast, at the farthest end so we didn’t have to pay for parking. We didn’t mind the distance for we were in the mood for a stroll anyway after locking ourselves in for days.
I gotta admit, I gaped at the wide and seemingly never ending stretch of white beach. I’ve been to countless islands, coastlines and coves but I have never seen anything like this gigantic sandbox (except the desert of course). However, there’s just too much concrete going on its background which in my opinion is an eyesore. Surfers Paradise to me is like a beautiful woman who’s wearing too much make up.
Unfortunately, surf wasn’t up when we got there. On a winter weekday, there were only a handful of people sauntering on the beach. The wind was still quite chilly and after I took a photo for The Postcard Project, we stepped off the sandy shore and onto the paved walkway. Hubby led the way to nearby Cavill Mall.
Cafes, restaurants (fish and chips anyone?), pubs, and souvenir shops are aplenty at Cavill Mall. If you’re a serious shopper, you could easily burn a significant amount of time hopping from one store to the other. As for me, picking a fridge magnet took five minutes, tops.
But that doesn’t mean I didn’t while a few more minutes window shopping, especially with the heaps of Kombi merchandise on display. Hippie culture is very much alive and kicking in various parts of the country. Surfers Paradise, which emerged as a popular getaway in the 1960s, is one of them. I got all excited imagining how bell-bottom jeans, A-line mini dresses, batik prints and go-go boots graced this strip during that decade.
After two hours of basking in the midday sun, we decided to retire and started walking back to the car. And then, I encountered a Meter Maid.
In 1965, visionary and entrepreneur Bernie Elsey Snr (who by the way married a Filipina) introduced Surfers Paradise Meter Maids clad in gold bikinis who insert coins to expired parking meters. These parking meters, which Elsey didn’t approve of, were installed by the government just the year prior.
Photo Credit: www.metermaids.com
The sight of the Meter Maid gave the area a more touristy ambiance. But because of the fact that she’s tasked to continue this thing which began more than 40 years ago, I felt like I just witnessed an old tradition (however I didn’t really see her feed the parking meters with coins).
Though we didn’t get to watch buff surfers ride waves, I didn’t leave sulking. In just a few more weeks the climate shall be a couple degrees warmer and everyone will be flocking to the inviting shores.
Oh, except us who are currently in frigorific Sydney. At least spring kicks off tomorrow… And we’ll be heading to Blue Mountains for my blogversary-slash-birthday!
Happy anniversary… I would love to visit Australia but it is such a long flight from Florida USA!!! Looks like a great area to see !!! I stumbled it
http://jpweddingphotograpy.blogspot.com/2011/08/photographing-bostons-little-italy.html
We went to Surfer’s Paradise twice and on both occasions my wife never failed to go to Harbourtown, ha ha ha
It was just a shame that it was raining when we went there.
Thanks for the greeting Jim, and thanks for Stumbling it. Yey! Today we celebrate.
Batangala = Noel, right? Hihi! Haven’t been to Harbourtown 🙁 Hopefully next time you go it won’t rain anymore!
wow! sarap cguro mag surf dyan on day… 🙂
Would like to try Mervz, kaso nasisindak ako sa waves. Lol.
Wow, that a wide stretch of beach! Hehe, katakot nga mgsurf dyan 🙂
Beautiful work of nature, Tina 🙂
The place looks so beautiful! I do want to visit Australia and try the surf. Oh was the meter maid in a bikini in the middle of winter??
may winter din pala sa AU…parang ang sarap maglaro sa mahabang buhangin na yan! hahaha
love the red sunglasses! paaak! ♥
Huge beach! Lavet!!! Oh, and happy blogoversary! If only you were here in Pinas, sana may fans day.
Yep! In the middle of winter… The Meter Maids were doing their rounds!
Jerome, yup. About 3 months of shivering temp.
Chyng, thanks! Asan na ba yang shades ko… LOL.
If only we were in Pinas, we’d be karaoke-ing.
Ganda ng mga beaches kaso hindi pa ko nakakakita ng beaches ng Australia in real-life… nabisita nyo rin ba ang sikat na Bondi Beach?
Ian, Bondi Beach is kinda near where we’re currently staying. Maybe we’ll go when it’s more warmer. Kaso lagi sya crowded 🙁
The beach looks wonderful! I love the white sand. Reminds me so much about the beaches that we have back home. I guess it would have been the perfect place if the weather played it your way 🙂
Would have been lovely Nelieta if that was the case. It was our fault anyways for visiting during our least fave season 🙂
Hi Gaye, I take a lot of appreciation oh how the Aussie law has regulated those concrete jungles in maintaining a distance at the beach. The beach is so wide! In the Philippines, resort owners are going nearer the shore, even in Boracay destroying the real view…
Yeah Ed! Some beach shores in the Philippines get narrower and narrower cause of establishments 🙁
i love your pictures! and truly do love your blog. i feel like i know you personally after reading about all your adventures! 🙂 oh and happy anniversary! im sure you will be blogging for many years to come!
first time to leave comment to your informative blog.. I cant resist though. hehe, ganda ng mga pics. lovee it:)
We’ve only been there once and kids loved it. In fact that’s the only place they want to return to! Seaworld, movieworld and all those themed parks—even though they loved it – but not as much as the beaches, at Surfers Paradise
I’d love to take my daughter to those theme parks when she’s much older!